He said: "I have been fortunate to sit alongside one of the most successful managers in Sir Alex. I will definitely draw into the experiences that I have had with him.

"He taught me a lot but the one thing that stood by me, in life and in football, is that you are constantly faced by challenges. You want challenges, and sometimes they are in adversity. The most important thing is to accept the challenge, embrace the challenge, and enjoy taking that challenge on."

Fulham host Aston Villa at Craven Cottage on Sunday and Meulensteen said: "Paul Lambert and Villa were in a similar situation [to Fulham] last year and they have gone through that. Every positive result or performance always starts with hard work, commitment and discipline, and that is what we have got to do."